Thursday, November 20, 2008

Milk.

Milk looks like it might finally give the civil rights activist more recognition, and allow more people to learn from his story. It also looks like a well-made film from director Gus Van Sant. The genre films Twilight and The Day the Earth Stood Still, as well as the historical epic Australia, all look exciting. However, I hope their hype won’t drown out publicity for this important docudrama.

EQuality Entertainment.

EQuality Entertainment has posted a review of Milk that explores the movie’s relevance in 2008, despite the fact that its events took place thirty years ago. Of special interest to doorQers, that site also examines the gay elements in books, movies, and Star Trek.

X-Men.

SciFi Wire reports on plans for Josh Schwartz to write X-Men: First Class. Schwartz, also known for Chuck and The OC, will focus on the next generation of mutants. I haven’t seen any details about which characters to expect.

Based on the Sword of Truth books by legendary fantasy author Terry Goodkind, the TV series Legend of the Seeker isn’t bad. Still, could the writers stop cramming “the Seeker” into the dialogue every few seconds? We get that Richard is the Seeker. Really. Couldn’t his friends call him Richard now and then?

Craig Horner plays Richard Cypher in the series, which airs in syndication, including the cable station WGN. Watch the Seeker Preview.

Friday, November 07, 2008

Read about the The Acorn Stories in the November/December issue of Bookmarks. Read the reviews at Kirkus, Amazon.Com, bn.com (2nd edition reviews), and bn.com (1st edition). If you buy The Acorn Stories (or anything else) from bn.com before November 16, 2008, use the 10% off Coupon Code: A3X3A9B (for non-members) or the 15% off B&N Member Coupon Code: C3N4T4J.

With the Texas Tech University Red Raiders football team on a winning streak, West Texas is receiving more media attention than usual. The Acorn Stories provides a fictionalized but often too-true look at West Texas, including Lubbock.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Mark Ian Kendrick’s ambitious science fiction epic, split into three sections in a single volume, involves two men who fall in love before embarking on an inter-dimensional adventure. Of the Consortium’s fourteen inhabited planets, only Andakar approaches Earth in wealth and a desire for equality.

After Lieutenant Commander Darreth James-Po and Dr. Naylon Ress, the two young lovers, crash land on another of the so-called “Inhab” planets, they accidentally discover a gateway to another dimension, almost like their own but with a different power struggle. Here, the human race wars with an alien race. Instead of the Consortium, a military force rules.

Kendrick uses his interests in science and language to enrich his world-building with interesting technology and terminology. The glossary in the back of the book explains all of that in brief phrases, and also lists the various characters. I never needed to refer to that glossary, though, because it all becomes clear in context. The other-worldly language adds to an exciting, textured science fiction experience.

While Kendrick stays focused on entertaining his audience with battles and political intrigue, he also shows how easily people can justify injustice, such as discrimination and even slavery. The characters interact in believable yet often unexpected ways.

Ultimately, the romantic relationship between the men Darreth and Naylon provides the glue for the expansive narrative. Even though they only appear together in certain key parts of the novel, these two heroic men pull readers in and will keep them wanting to find out what happens next.

The Rylerran Gateway should entertain anyone who enjoys science fiction, and especially the many readers who share Kendrick’s frustration with the odd lack of gay characters in science fiction. As he explains at his website, he wants to change what he and his partner see as the disappointing lack of gay people depicted in the genre they love.